Director of Corporate Development

Overview Director – Global Corporate Development
Location: New York (Hybrid)
Office: 2 days/week with team in office; more as projects require
Travel: Occasional, About the Team The Global Corporate Development (GCD) team sits within Wolters Kluwer's Global Strategy group, reporting to the CEO and Chair of the Executive Board. The team sources, assesses, structures, and executes transactions to drive inorganic growth across five global divisions. The culture is collaborative, high‑performing, and focused on developing talent and promoting from within. Over the last two years, the team has executed nearly US$2 billion in transactions, with deal sizes typically ranging from US$5M to 500M. Recent acquisitions include Finca Group carve‑out from Isabel Group, RASi, and Libra.ai.
About the Role The Director, Global Corporate Development leads transactions with limited oversight as a senior individual contributor and deal leader within the GCD team, reporting to the VP Americas, Corporate Development. This role is comparable in scope to a senior vice president or junior director in investment banking, with end‑to‑end responsibility for leading transactions and shaping investment and deal recommendations.
You will own the execution of selected M&A transactions—from initial deal intake through diligence, valuation, board memo preparation, negotiation, and execution. You will serve as a point of contact for internal stakeholders and external counterparties on active deals and be accountable for recommendations presented to the VP and SVP of Corporate Development.
While the role is US‑based and focused on the Americas, Directors are expected to contribute selectively to transactions in EMEA and other regions as required. The US‑based team includes one Director (this opportunity), one Associate Director, and one Senior Analyst.
Responsibilities Enterprise Understanding & Strategic Connectivity — Build fluency across Wolters Kluwer’s operating businesses and strategic priorities, and develop relationships across the Global Strategy group to drive alignment and collaboration on transactions.

Deal Leadership & Execution — Lead acquisition and divestiture processes end‑to‑end, with accountability for transaction strategy, timelines, and outcomes.

Stakeholder & Relationship Development — Engage divisional leadership, bankers, PE sponsors, and industry contacts to advance opportunities; maintain trusted relationships with divisional GMs, SVPs, and functional leaders. Act as day‑to‑day lead with target management teams, PE funds, and transaction advisors on selected deals.

Investment Thesis & Decision Framing — Develop investment theses; frame key value drivers, risks, and trade‑offs; prepare and present recommendations to senior executives.

Financial & Operating Model Oversight — Direct the development and review of valuation and operating models (DCF, comps, accretion/dilution, multiple‑case scenarios); challenge assumptions and ensure analytical rigor. Directors are in a player‑coach role and will occasionally develop valuation and operating models.

Project Management & Governance — Lead cross‑functional deal processes; set workplans, manage dependencies, and resolve issues under compressed timelines.

Due Diligence Leadership — Oversee financial, commercial, technical, and operational diligence; synthesize findings into implications for valuation, structure, and deal risk; escalate key issues as needed.

Divestiture & Portfolio Actions — Lead divestiture processes including carve‑out planning, self‑diligence, and coordination with stakeholders.

Team Development — Mentor and review work; raise analytical and execution standards through coaching and feedback.

Qualifications for Success Experience: 9–12 years across investment banking, private equity, or corporate development, with a strong record of leading M&A transactions.

Software M&A Expertise: Significant experience across Software, AI, and SaaS M&A with a deep understanding of revenue models for subscription and usage‑based businesses. Familiarity with negotiating key deal points and reviewing disclosures against due diligence findings.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Mathematics, or related field; MBA strongly preferred.

Transaction Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading transactions end‑to‑end, including negotiation of valuation and commercial elements and leading development of investment memos or equivalents.

Financial Judgment: Ability to assess financial models critically and focus on key drivers; solid understanding of financial statements.

Executive Presence: Ability to influence and advise senior executives; comfortable in ambiguous, high‑stakes environments.

Communication: Exceptional written and verbal skills; able to synthesize complex information into concise executive materials.

Organization: Preference for structure and standardization; able to project manage on compressed timelines.

Intellectual Curiosity: Genuine interest in diverse businesses, emerging industries, and applied AI.

Work Style: Proactive self‑starter with ownership, attention to detail, urgency, and adaptability.

AI Fluency Preferred: Hands‑on experience using M&A workflows with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar.

Technical Skills: Advanced Excel, PowerPoint, Word; proficient with research platforms (CapitalIQ, PitchBook) and data rooms.

Our Interview Practices To maintain a fair and genuine hiring process, candidates should participate in interviews without AI tools or external prompts. The process assesses your skills and experiences; authenticity is valued. We discourage AI‑generated responses or third‑party support during interviews, and such use may disqualify you from recruitment.
Applicants may be required to appear onsite at a Wolters Kluwer office as part of the recruitment process.
Compensation Compensation: $181,900.00 - $325,050.00 USD
This role is eligible for Bonus.
Note: The compensation range listed is based on primary location of the position. The actual base salary offer is influenced by factors including skills, experience, and hiring location. The recruiter can share more information during the hiring process.
Additional Information Additional Information : Wolters Kluwer offers a wide variety of competitive benefits and programs, including Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Commuter Benefits, Tuition Assistance, Vacation and Sick Time, and Paid Parental Leave. Details are available upon request.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Wolters Kluwer U.S. Corporation and all subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

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